THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 13, 1995 TAG: 9505110042
SECTION: TELEVISION PAGE: 28 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: Long : 142 lines
SILLY ME. All this time, I thought the Judds got along just swell. I know better after previewing the miniseries ``Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge,'' which begins a four-hour run on NBC Sunday night at 9.
It turns out that while the Judds on stage were sweetness and harmony as they sang their way to six Grammys, mother and daughter fussed and fumed offstage. See the bratty, spoiled, selfish, self-indulgent unwed mom Wynonna, a candidate for a Jim Carrey dumb and dumber movie, call her mom a witch. Shocking.
Is it any wonder why Naomi has summed up the miniseries in this manner: ``It's bizarre to realize that 40 to 50 million people are going to be sitting on their couches in their bathrobes watching this. They are spectators at my life.'' Come Sunday, you'll learn that Mom got pregnant with Wynonna at 17 when she had sex for the first time.
So, why is she thrashing Wynonna in the tabloids for getting herself with child?
Naomi told television reporters in Los Angeles recently that she didn't want to do the miniseries or the book on which the four hours are based. The Judds' former manager committed them to both projects.
Naomi was asked by a reporter, ``You mean when your agent put papers in front of you, you obediently signed them?''
Her answer was short. ``Yes, sir.''
Despite her reluctance to have the highs and lows of her life set before the TV audience, Naomi cooperated with the producers and seemed delighted with the drop-dead gorgeous actress (Kathleen York) chosen to play her. Viveka Davis portrays Wynonna.
When meeting the TV press, both actresses said they can carry a tune, but agreed to lip-synch to the Judds' singing.
York said she studied the Judds in music videos hour after hour, and, by gosh, she does have Naomi's moves and mannerisms on stage mastered. ``This is the most challenging thing I've done as an actress,'' York said. ``I just hope that after it airs, the country and western fans won't be writing me and asking, `What have you done with our beautiful diva?' ''
``Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge'' borders on the campy and because it does, the miniseries is a guilty pleasure akin to eating M&Ms. It's nicely photographed and the musical numbers are great.
Love it when the Judds break into ``Don't Be Cruel.''
With this being the May sweeps and all, ABC brings out one of its big guns as it strives to build on its advantage as the most-watched network. The ABC howitzer is grind 'em out author Stephen King.
``The Langoliers,'' based on one of King's zillion novels, begins a two-part run on ABC Sunday night at 9 in direct competition to the saga of Naomi and Wynonna.
I'm betting on the Judds.
``The Langoliers'' is as overstuffed as King's books with a cheesy look to it. The cast is from Hollywood's B list. Bronson Pinchot is most annoying as an impatient businessman.
The plot: Ten passengers on an overnight flight from Boston to Los Angeles awake from their naps to find that all the other passengers and crew have, gulp, disappeared!
And then comes the King speciality - something horrible from the dark corners of your mind or in your closet or under your bed to menace the actors and TV audience: the Langoliers. They're blobs.
Said Yale grad Pinchot, who made a name for himself in sitcoms and lighthearted film roles, such as Serge in ``Beverly Hills Cop,'' to TV writers, ``This project was a major change for me, and it was tough to do. The script was the draw. Stephen King was the draw. I've been pretty much stressed out on comedy and was in a mood to stab people and terrorize several more.''
Bet you thought I was going to forget that Sunday is Mother's Day. Not a chance.
Locally, on WGNT's ``On Cue,'' Gerald Walsh has invited mom, Ann Walsh, to help with hosting the show on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Barbara Billingsley, who may be the most famous TV mom of them all, is aboard for the 11-hour ``Leave It to Beaver Mother of a Marathon'' starting Saturday and Sunday at 10:05 a.m. on the TBS Superstation.
The Disney Channel salutes Mom on Sunday at 10 a.m. with selected scenes from ``Bambi,'' ``Cinderella'' and ``Dumbo.'' Shouldn't this be called Disney's Salute to Mom's Kids? American Movie Classics has the perfect toast to mother on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 4:15 Monday morning. It's the classic ``I Remember Mama.''
Norman Bates returns to TV Sunday at noon on The Sci-Fi Channel in sequels to the 1960 film with the swirling-blood-in-the-shower scene. Until Hitchcock filmed that scene with Janet Leigh, the scariest thing about the bathroom was the plumber's bill. ``Psycho II'' picks up 22 years after the first film, and in ``Psycho III,'' Norman is back in business at the Bates Motel.
Also just in time for Mother's Day: Suzanne Somers' character gives birth on ``Step by Step'' on ABC Thursday night at 9. That makes seven kids for Somers (Carol) and Frank played by Patrick Duffy. . . . The Family Channel plays it cute, declaring Sunday ``Mother's Day,'' and reeling off three movies starring Doris Day beginning at 11:30 a.m. with ``Ballad of Josie.''
There are two local TV projects of note in the week to come.
WHRO on Tuesday at 10 p.m. airs ``No Time to Be a Child,'' which is about living young in a big city war zone where violence is common.
In conjunction with that show, Channel 15 on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. will invite local schoolchildren to its studios in Norfolk for a video-conference about kids threatened by bullets and bullies. The youth summit will not be broadcast.
WVEC on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. wraps up the recent visit of Vanna White, Pat Sajak and the ``Wheel of Fortune'' gang in the special, ``Wheel of Fortune Comes to Norfolk.'' The 10 shows taped aboard the supercarrier Dwight D. Eisenhower begin airing on Channel 13 Monday at 7 p.m.
Elsewhere in Tube Town, CBS brings back Ed Sullivan and his ``rilly big shew'' on Friday night at 8 in a two-hour special, ``The Ed Sullivan All-Star Comedy Special'' hosted by Mary Tyler Moore. For you younger readers out there, Sullivan is the guy who once did a TV show in the theater where David Letterman works today. Letterman tapes in London this month. . . . The National Geographic series on TV, which is another name for quality television, scores again on PBS Wednesday night at 8 with ``The Great Indian Railway.'' Unlike the U.S., where travel by train is a sometimes thing, the railway system of India is a big deal with 11,000 trains carrying 12 million people every day. On this PBS show, you get to see the sights of India, including the Taj Mahal, and meet the people of that country, including the engineer who takes a great steam locomotive on its last run. Ride the rails on five great trains.
Break out the handkerchiefs. Will and Lisa wed Tuesday night at 8 on ``The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.'' Also on NBC, nurse Hathaway on ``ER'' strolls down the aisle Thursday night at 10. CBS is still teasing viewers of ``Murphy Brown'' about the wedding of Murphy and Peter. Will they marry or won't they? The idea is to get you to watch Monday night at 9. . . . On The Nashville Network, it's Ricky Skaggs' turn to host ``At the Ryman'' on Monday night at 8. Glen Campbell visits. . . . Sean Bean returns as the dashing one, Richard Sharpe, in three new adventures on PBS' ``Masterpiece Theater'' starting Sunday night at 9 with ``Sharpe's Company.'' The Napoleonic wars visit 1995.
MTV revives its ``Rock the Vote'' series Monday night at 9:30 with ``Out of Order: Rock the Vote Targets Health Care.'' Six stories about kids with health problems. The specials continue through Thursday night. . . . In sort of a tribute to Mother's Day, PBS' ``Frontline'' on Tuesday at 9 p.m. looks into the problem of raising kids with Pop not around. See moms carry the load on ``The Vanishing Father.''. . . In Case You Missed It Department: WGNT on Sundays at 4 p.m. carries reruns of ``Beverly Hills 90210.'' See the cast when it was really young. See Brenda pout again. . . . Once upon a time, Mickey Rooney was Hollywood's No. 1 star. A&E returns you to the past Monday at 8 p.m. when The Mick ruled on the ``Biography'' special ``Mickey Rooney: Hollywood's Little Giant.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
[The Langoliers]
["At the Ryman"]
[Chugging Along]
by CNB